New review

New review of Flight of the Hawk on LibaryThing.com.

New Review

A great discussion of all three Storyteller books here.

-GRG

A new review for "Flight of the Hawk"

This evening I wandered by Odyssey Reviews and was delighted to find a new review for Flight of the Hawk. Take a look, and also see what she had to say about Storyteller last year.

-GRG

Another Autumn Day...

Another bright September morning. I'm supposed to be writing, but the sunshine in the garden keeps luring me outside. The asters are blooming as always at this time of year, and the bees and I are both enjoying them in our different ways.

Less writing progress this week due to various interruptions, but with luck I'll get another chapter done this weekend. In the meantime, I thought I would start occasionally including random bits from the first two books in this blog. The first sample is from the beginning of "Flight of the Hawk".
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It began on a bright spring evening two days before Beltane. The birds were singing passionately in the new-leafed trees; the cattle were lowing in the green fields outside the court; and I and my girl Rhiannedd were seated on a rough wooden bench close by Cyndrwyn’s mead-hall, passing some moments pleasantly enough until it was time to go inside for dinner. I had my arm around her slender waist, and was just about to kiss her, when we were interrupted by the sound of approaching horses. Into the muddy courtyard there rode three men, and two of them, to my astonishment, were familiar to me. The slight, dark man in the lead, Taliesin Ben Beirdd himself, I would know, I think, at the world’s end—always supposing that he himself wished it!—and his apprentice Neirin mab Dwywei’s dark red hair and lean build were hard to disguise by any light. The third man, a fair-haired youth who rode behind them and led their packhorses, was a stranger to me...
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Back to work now -- or maybe back to the garden!

-GRG

Previews

For those of you who haven't read Storyteller and Flight of the Hawk yet, I thought I would point out that there are limited previews for both books on Google Books as well as the "search inside" previews on amazon. The links are here and here. I don't know what percentage of the text it will let you read, but it should be a good equivalent to flipping through the physical book.

Free and Inexpensive

Just a reminder that my two poetry collections, Guernen Sang It and Guernen Sang Again, are free to download (and share) on my Lulu page. Also, pdf versions of Storyteller and Flight of the Hawk are available there inexpensively for those needing a budget solution. Finally, I will provide pdf copies of Storyteller free to anyone interested in writing an on-line review.

Book Descriptions for Storyteller and Flight of the Hawk

Since I've been posting links to this site on some of my yahoo lists, I thought I'd also post the back cover descriptions for the two books here.

Storyteller:

“Blood and fire, gold and steel and poetry, a river’s voice in the silence of the night, and the shining strings of a harp – all these and more I have known in my time. Steep mountains, dark forests, and the endless song of the rain; music and laughter and feasting in the fire-bright halls of kings; a dusty road, and a fast horse, and a good friend beside me; and the sweet taste of the mead of Dun Eidyn, with its bitter aftermath: a dragon’s hoard of memories I have gathered, bright-colored as a long summer’s day. Now they are all gone, the men and women I knew when I was young, gone like words on the wind, and I am left here in the twilight to tell you their tale. Sit, then, and listen if you will to the words of Gwernin Kyuarwyd, called Storyteller…”

So begins the tale of the young Gwernin’s adventures as a wandering storyteller and would-be bard in the chaos and contradictions of 6th century Britain. Along the way he encounters allies and enemies both human and supernatural, finds love and friendship, and learns the lore – and the true meaning – of a bard’s profession:

“Na, there will always be need for Bards,” said Kyan. “If not to sing the warriors’ deeds now, then to remember those who fought before, and teach those who will fight afterwards the way of it… We are like the pin in the cloak-clasp, the smallest, plainest part, and yet without it the brooch falls away and is lost, and the cloak with it, and the man perishes from the cold. So it is with us. If the Bards should ever take the Druids’ road west, it would be a black day for the Cymry, for what is there to hold a people together who do not remember their past?”

Flight of the Hawk:

Britain in the summer of 551 AD: The North is a tinderbox about to burst into flame, the Saxons are stirring again in the east, and Cynan Garwyn, Prince of Powys, is doing his best to foment war in the South. In the midst of this simmering chaos, two young bards — Gwernin the Storyteller and his friend Neirin mab Dwywei, the Poet-Prince who some call “Taliesin’s Hawk” — are sent by their master to investigate the rumors and do what they can to prevent a war in the North. At least, that was their mission — but the two young men find plenty of other adventures along the way. Girls and beer, bloodshed and magic: will they survive the summer and make it home alive?

It's available!

Flight of the Hawk is finally available from Amazon, B&N, etc. - links on the sidebar!

-GRG

The Hawk Was Back!

Not my novel, mind you, and not Neirin either (although he will reappear in the next book), but the falcon at the bird feeder. He (or she) didn't arrive in pursuit of sparrows this time, just flew down and perched on the cross-bar of the clothesline and sat there for a couple of minutes looking around. This gave me a better sense of scale than I had the first time, and led me to rethink my identification: I think it's a peregrine falcon! Unlikely to have two different hawks a week apart, and I know there are peregrines in Denver, originally introduced downtown to keep down the pigeon population. Explains the occasional excess of pigeon feathers (and once, gobbets of pigeon) I've seen around the feeder from time to time.

-GRG

I Did It

Last night I pushed the button, so to speak, for distribution of Flight of the Hawk. It's available on Lulu now, and should reach Amazon, B&N, etc. in two to three weeks. There's also an ebook version on Lulu.

Next project: building the Aldertree Books website. Oh, yes, and starting the next book...

But that's a post for another day.

-GRG

A Busy Week...

First, the October Promotion is going well - twenty seven people so far have downloaded free PDF copies of Storyteller, and I hope will be sharing them with their friends. I can't afford to give hard copies away, but sharing ebooks costs me nothing, and I'm glad to have the chance to do it.

Today I got the second proof copy of Flight of the Hawk, and it looks good. Inevitably there must be a couple more typos somewhere - there always are! - but I'm not going to search for them: 99% correct is close enough.

This gives me a choice, though: release the book now, or wait until the scheduled November 1st date? What to do, what to do...

There'll be a PDF version of this book, too, although not a free one ... at least not now.

But that's a post for another day.

-GRG

Progress...

I haven't been posting much in the last week because I'm on the (absolutely, positively, I mean it this time!) last editing pass through Hawk. Once I've finalized that, I'll have time for a few other things like reference book reviews and general creativity. It's taken quite a lot of time and work (thanks, Rivkah and Rowen!) but I think it's been worth it in terms of a really clean final draft. And we're still on schedule for November 1st.

Meanwhile, in the unused synapses at the back of my mind, the next story is starting to take shape. Maybe this weekend...

But that's truly a story for another day.

-GRG

October Promotion

In the run-up to the November release of Flight of the Hawk, I am making the pdf version of Storyteller a free download from my Lulu storefront. Anyone who would like it but doesn't want to create a (free) Lulu account in order to get the download can email me at the address on the sidebar, and I'll send you one direct. Not only is this ebook available free, but I actively encourage you to share it with anyone you think might be interested under a Creative Commons license!

Meanwhile, final revision on Flight of the Hawk continues on schedule for its November 1st release.

-GRG

Seven more days...

Seven more days until October, and my October Promotion. "What's so special about October?" you may ask, if you haven't been reading this blog. "Not hard," I reply. "During October the e-book version of Storyteller, the first book in my developing series, will be free for download. This is to encourage more people to read it before Flight of the Hawk is released in November."

Yes, during the month of October you can download Storyteller for free from Lulu.com, and if that's too hard -- if you don't want to go to the trouble of creating a (free) Lulu account in order to get a free e-book -- you can email me at the address on the sidebar, and I'll personally send you your very own copy. Not only that, but the e-version of Storyteller now comes under a Creative Commons license, to encourage everyone interested to not only get it free and read it, but share it freely with any interested (or uninterested) friends.

Why am I giving the e-book version of Storyteller away? Well, first of all, I didn't write these stories to make money (the fact that I'm publishing them with Lulu.com tells you that). I wrote them for fun and sharing. Secondly, I think if you read Storyteller, you'll want more of Gwernin's adventures. That takes us to Flight of the Hawk and its several planned sequels. I expect to be writing these stories of a long time, and the more readers who want to come along with me on that journey, the better. And thirdly, I think the more people who are aware of Storyteller's existence, the better my chances of selling physical books -- for more on that idea, look here.

As to what comes after Flight of the Hawk -- well, that's a post for another day.

-GRG

Updates

I'm back from a long weekend traveling to Wisconsin to see a good friend get an important SCA award - and my proof copies have arrived! So far I've seen one or two details I need to clean up, but on the whole I think it looks great. It's a thrill to finally have the physical item in my hands!

It will be a couple of days before I get another reference book review up, but now that I'm done traveling for a while normal service should resume shortly.

-GRG

Success at last...

Finally got the cover to display correctly on the sidebar!

Tomorrow I will be back to medieval blogging, but in the meantime, here's the back cover blurb for Hawk:

Britain in the summer of 551 AD: The North is a tinderbox about to burst into flame, the Saxons are stirring again in the east, and Cynan Garwyn, Prince of Powys, is doing his best to foment war in the South. In the midst of this simmering chaos, two young bards - Gwernin Storyteller and his friend Neirin mab Dwywei, the Poet-Prince that some call "Taliesin's Hawk" - are sent to the North by their master to investigate the rumors and do what they can to prevent a war. At least, that was their mission - but the two young men find plenty of other adventures along the way. Girls and beer, bloodshed and magic - will they survive the summer and make it home alive?

The new cover for Flight of the Hawk

I'm still having trouble with the sidebar, but here's the cover for Hawk. I'm really excited about the way it's all coming together. At this point I'm looking for pre-release reviews - the scheduled release date is still November 1.

Almost there...

Completion for Flight of the Hawk is getting closer and closer. I've finished what I hope will be my last editing pass, the covers are done and uploaded, I've got the ISBN, and I'm tinkering with the map (or maps - can't decide). Still planning on an official release date around November 1, but I may make it available sooner on Lulu for the impatient. And then there's the October promotion...

Photoshop and I are becoming well acquainted. I've got Elements 5, and I like it --the Missing Manual helps a lot. So does my background in technical illustration and AutoCAD. After I get Flight of the Hawk published, I'm going to do a revision on Storyteller to make the cover more what I actually wanted instead of what the contractor delivered, and fix a few other minor glitches at the same time.

After that, on to the the next book: The Ash Spear. But that's a post for another day.

Writing Progress

I'm still on schedule with Flight of the Hawk. The front and back cover are done, and I'll be working on the maps today. I'm also on what I hope will be the final editing pass for the manuscript. So things are looking good!

In the meantime, while I was out of town last week, I was mildly surprised to find ideas popping up for the next book. This one will be titled The Ash Spear, and will start about six months after Hawk ends. The title has a double meaning, which I'll explain presently.

I'll also be doing a special promotion in October - but that's a subject for another post.

It's Done!

OK, there's still a lot of proofreading and formatting work, cover and book design, maps and appendices to do. But I've finished the last chapter of Flight of the Hawk. On schedule, too! Hooray!

Now back to the grindstone in hot, sunny Denver, where I suddenly have all the ripe tomatoes I can eat.